Prohibition - 'The Noble Expermiment'

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In 1920 congress began what was called "The Noble Experiment". This experiment began with

the signing of the eighteenth amendment of the constitution into law. It was titled by society

as Prohibition. Websters dictionary defines prohibition as: A prohibiting, the forbidding by law

of the manufacture or sale of alcoholic liquors. Prohibition can extend to mean the foreboding

of any number of substances. I define it as a social injustice to the human race as we know

it.

Prohibition was designed to rid the country of businesses that manufactured, sold, and or

distributed alcoholic beverages. The eighteenth amendment made it a violation of the

constitution to do and of the before mentioned. This was a crime punishable up to the

Supreme Court. The original idea was that Americans as a whole were unhealthy, there was

too much crime and corruption, and that people were being burdened by excess taxes that

poorhouses and prisons were creating. What happened? The cheap alcohol being illegally

produced killed more Americans, crime and corruption went up, taxes were raised to fund the

law enforcement needed to enforce prohibition, and the prisons became overcrowded.

Some would have you believe that crime decreased during prohibition. Well, it did. Crime

decreased, as a whole, by 37.7% during prohibition. However violent crime and other serious

crimes were up. Theft of property was up 13.2%, homicide was up m16.1%, and robbery was

up 83.3%. Minor crimes had decreased though- by 50%. Crimes such as malicious mischief,

public swearing, vagrancy, etc. (Dr. Fairburn pg 75-80)

The prohibition movement did have its fair share of supporters however. The most active in

the movement was the Women's Christian Temperance Union. They worked hard in

campaigning towards this amendment and gathered, what is now believed today, as to be

biased statistics. For example one area that the WCTU attacked was the saloons and in

particular the sale of distilled spirits, hard alcohol. The WCTU claimed drinking during

prohibition was down 30% as opposed to pre-prohibition. However as a percentage to total

alcohol sales the consumption of distilled spirits was up from 50% (pre-prohibition) to an

astonishing 89% during prohibition. "Most estimates place the potency of prohibition-era

products at 150+ percent of the potency of products produced either before or after

prohibition (qtd. In Henry Lee 202)

Prohibition did not succeed at all. In order for prohibition to achieve what it was set to do it

had to meet four specific guidelines. It needs to have a significant decrease in the

consumption of alcohol. This did not occur. Secondly after the initial drop, it needed to

maintain that low. What did happen was that after the initial drop alcohol consumption rose

steadily. Next, the resources devoted to the enforcement of prohibition increased along with

the consumption. Originally it was to cost 4.4 million a year to enforce, it increased to 13.4

million a year burdening the tax payer it was trying to give a break to. Last of all, the small

decrease that did occur did not make prohibition a success. The bill was designed to eliminate

drinking. (Mark Thornton 11)

The health that this Amendment hoped to achieve was actually harmed by prohibition. The

moonshine being created by amateurs could have killed under many conditions. In alcohol

related illnesses deaths from cirrhosis of the liver, pre-prohibition were 1.5%. During prohibition

these deaths increased to 4% of the total deaths.

The Iron Law of Prohibition states that

"The more intense the law enforcement, the more potent the prohibited substance becomes"-

Richard Lowan

Taxes were up, health was down, crime and corruption was up, social stability was down. This

bill, this law, which was actually put into the constitution could stay there no longer. It had to

be removed, repealed, and done away with. Prohibition had failed. The eighteenth amendment

to the constitution was no more.

Once repealed society and life in general in the United States transitioned back into a

functioning country. The mob shifted its focus else where and became less notorious. The

moonshiners and shakespies were gone and clean, wholesome brew flowed once again.

America was not stable during prohibition, and with its dismissal all became well again. I shall

leave you with some closing words to think about and to realize that we are all held morally

responsible to insure that America stays a free and independent country and that nothing like

this, in any form is ever allowed to happen again.

"Conspiracies are nation wide in extent, in great numbers, organized, well-funded, and cleverly

conducted." (qtd. By Assistant Secretary of Treasury Lincoln C. Andrews pg 18) For the most

part prohibition added to the problems that it was designed to stop. It was a social injustice

that plagued our country, brought on by the leaders that are appointed to serve this nation.

Used and abused by the Mafia as a source of financial gain. Some say it was a mistake, I say

it was a conspiracy that goes up into the higher ranks of the nation.

Works Cited

Mark Thornton. Alcohol Prohibition Was a Failure [49] Policy Analysis No.157 July 17, 1999

Available: http://www.cato.org

Erich S. Prohibition Nationally and Locally Available:

http://www.viz.net/middle/prohib.html

Ohio State University. Why Prohibition [8] Available:

http://www.cohums.ohio-state.edu/history/projects/prohibition/whyprohibition.htm

Ohio State University. The Brewing Industry at Prohibition [7] Availiable:

http://www.history.ohio-state.edu/projects/prohibition/brewing